Literature Connections to
Only One Ocean

The fiction we've selected as literature connections for Only
One Ocean range from ocean-specific stories to broader ecological
tales. The Great Kapok Tree, for example, carries a strong
conservation message. The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor
gives students a look at the entire ocean ecosystem.

In the listings below, the grade-level estimates reflect both
interest level and reading level. Many of the books can be enjoyed
by a wide age rangeolder students can read them on their
own and they can be read aloud to younger students. Some books
(like the rhyming "alphabet of the ocean," Into the
A, B, Sea) are marketed for a young audience but can be inspired
tools for helping middle school students organize their thoughts,
figure out what's important, do research, and use words in innovative
ways. They're also excellent for encouraging language development
in English-language learners.

Please be sure to see the many excellent resource and reference
books for students and teachers listed in the "Resources"
section on page 163 of Only One Ocean. You may also want
to refer to the GEMS literature connections handbook, Once
Upon a GEMS Guide: Connecting Young People's Literature to Great
Explorations in Math and Science. It lists books according
to science themes and mathematics strands, as well as by connections
to GEMS guides. We're always looking for titles to add to future
editions of Only One Ocean and Once Upon A GEMS Guide.
Please let us know how these suggestions work for you, and
send us your nominations for more books about the interconnectedness
of our one, vast ocean.

20,000 Leagues Under the Seaby Jules Verne
1870: many contemporary editions available
Grades 3Adult
The classic and still-compelling yarn. Plenty of creative oceanography
and exaggeration . . . but great fun and surprisingly relevant.

The Case of the Missing Cutthroats:
An Ecological Mysteryby Jean Craighead George
HarperCollins, New York. 1996
(originally published by E.P. Dutton in 1975 as Hook A Fish, Catch
A Mountain)
Grades: 37After Spinner Shafter catches a cutthroat trout in the Snake
River, she and her cousin Alligator search the nearby mountains
to determine where the endangered fish came from and how it survived.
The author has written several other worthwhile ecological mysteries
including Who Really Killed Cock Robin? and The Missing
gator of Gumbo Limbo.

The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the
Amazon Rain Forestby Lynne Cherry
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, San Diego. 1990
Grades: K4The many different animals that live in a great kapok tree
in the Brazilian rainforest try to convince a man with an ax of
the importance of not cutting down their home. Although this picture
book is meant for a younger audience, it is useful to demonstrate
that in the same way one tree in a forest is important to many
other animals, one species in the oceanlike squidare
important to many other species in the ocean.

Into the A, B, Sea: An Ocean Alphabetby Deborah Lee Rose; illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Scholastic, New York. 2000
Grades: K3The delightful rhyming text combines with the vivid cut-paper
illustrations to give the reader a tour of the ocean and its inhabitantsfrom
Anemone to Zooplankton. Each verse succinctly captures its creatures
unique attribute" where kelp forests sway and
leopard sharks prey " A glossary provides further information
on each animal, and a teachers supplement is available.
Although intended for a young audience, this book is useful for
learning about the variety of marine organisms.

Island of the Blue Dolphinsby Scott ODell; illustrated by Ted Lewin
Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 1990
Grades: 512Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast
of California, a young Native American girl spends eighteen years,
not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance,
but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life.
Interwoven are descriptions of the island, of fish and ocean vegetation,
animals and plants. The way she interacts with nature to survive,
hunt, build shelter, and design clothing, both as she had been
taught by her people and as she develops her own technological
and artistic skills, is a particularly strong aspect of the book.

Just A Dreamby Chris Van Allsburg
Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 1990
Grades: All AgesWhen he has a dream about a future Earth devastated by pollution,
Walter begins to understand the importance of taking care of the
environment. Unique and evocative pictures of what our future
may hold provide the powerful backdrop as young Walter becomes
enlightened and changes his thinking and actions.

The Magic School Bus On the Ocean Floorby Joanna Cole; illustrated by Bruce Degen
Scholastic, New York. 1992
Grades: 14In her own predictable style, Ms. Frizzle takes her class
on a field trip to the ocean (though the students expected a trip
to the beach). The class explores many different ocean habitats
and learn about the organisms in each. In one of the reports along
the edge of the page, a student discusses how all the oceans of
the world are connected to form "one world ocean."

The Old Ladies Who Liked Cats by Carol Greene; illustrated by Loretta Krupinski
HarperCollins, New York. 1991
Grades: K6When the old ladies are no longer allowed to let their cats
out at night, the delicate balance of their island ecology is
disturbed, with disastrous results. Based on Charles Darwins
story about clover and cats, this ecological folk tale demonstrates
the interrelationships of plants and animals.

Out of the Oceanby Debra Frasier
Harcourt Brace and Company, San Diego. 1998
Grades: Preschool3As a young girl and her mother walk along an Eastern Florida
beach, they marvel at the many treasures cast up by the sea and
the wonders of the world around them. Detailed and illustrated
pages at the end of the book give information about the items
found. One of the items is a note-filled bottle and ocean currents
are discussed. Although for younger students, the book is great
for extolling the riches of the ocean.

Shark Beneath the Reefby Jean Craighead George
HarperCollins, New York. 1989
Grades: 512Fourteen-year-old Tomas has two loves, school and fishing,
and is supported by his proud fisherman grandfather and his caring
high school science teacher. Tomas comes from a family of shark
fishermen on the island of Coronado on the Sea of Cortez whose
livelihood is threatened by governmental plans for tourism and
Japanese factory fishing boats. The oceanic environment flows
through the book, as Tomas observes the activity in a tide pool
or tracks a fish underwater, giving a real sense of the interrelation
between marine life and its habitats.

Watermans Boyby Susan Sharpe
Bradbury Press, New York. 1990
Grades: 36Two boys from a small town on the Chesapeake Bay help a scientist
interested in cleaning up the water for the benefit of animals,
plants, and people, while risking parental disapproval of people
with too much education and of outsiders interference in
their means of earning a living.